Results 441-460 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Child and Family Agency (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Thank you, Deputy, for your question. Tulsa’s role is to support and promote the development, welfare, education, and protection of children and young people. It is an organisation that operates in a very challenging and demand led environment. As an example, Tusla saw 96,666 child protection and welfare referrals in 2024: a 5% increase (4,742) since 2023 (91,924). My...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Budget 2026 is currently being considered by Government in the context of the annual estimates process, which officials in this Department are actively engaging in. Therefore, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Budget 2026 (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Budget 2026 is currently being considered by Government in the context of the annual estimates process, which officials in this Department are actively engaging in. Therefore, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Child and Family Agency (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Thank you, Deputy, for your question. Tulsa’s role is to support and promote the development, welfare, education, and protection of children and young people. It is an organisation that operates in a very challenging and demand led environment. As an example, Tusla saw 96,666 child protection and welfare referrals in 2024: a 5% increase (4,742) since 2023 (91,924). My...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. This includes reviewing deposit rules across each early learning and childcare scheme. Under Core Funding, in which over 92% of the sector participate, providers agree that all deposits relating to the 2024/2025 Programme Year must be returned to the parent/ guardian once the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Parental Leave (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1899, 1925 and 1926 together. Significant improvements have been made in the entitlements to both paid and unpaid leaves in recent years, including by extending paid parent's leave for parents to allow them to spend more time with their baby during their earliest years. The Maternity Protection Act 1994 and the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Core Funding has seen consistent increased State investment to the sector year on year, and is set in year 4 to be worth over €390 million contingent on the establishment of new minimum rates of pay in the sector through updated Employment Regulation Orders. This is an increase of over 50% since the scheme began in September 2022 with an allocation of €259 million. In June,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Data (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: In the interest of clarity, transparency and consistent reporting, I have defined a service that left Core Funding as any service that had a gap between contracts for Core Funding of 4 or more weeks. There are a number of reasons that a service might fall into this definition, for example a service could have withdrawn from the scheme, been removed from the scheme for breach or rules, or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Data (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Prior to the introduction of Core Funding, there was a wide variance of fees in the sector, with some services charging much lower fees than others while being held to the same fee freeze. To address this, and in addition to the 15% increase in Core Funding in year 3, a new Fee Increase Assessment process was introduced, whereby services could apply to increase their fees up to an approved...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The new maximum fee caps, applicable to all Partner Services from September 2025, will place a limit on the maximum fees that can be charged across all types of provision. Under these new fee caps, the fee for a full day place – of between 40-50 hours per week, the most common full day care operating hours – will be no more than €295 per week (before State subsidies...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I note that the Department has previously provided the Deputy with data on the new Core Funding fee caps and average fees across the country for the 2023/24 programme year in responses to the Deputy's Parliamentary Questions 45124/25 and 45127/25. It is not possible to provide an accurate model of the net costs to parents as requested by the Deputy at this time. Sufficient time would be...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: As the State is not the employer of staff in the sector, neither I nor my Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector. The Joint Labour Committee is the formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates, which are set down in Employment Regulation Orders. I acknowledge the Joint Labour...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Average Fees by County & Fee Type My Department does not collate data in the manner requested by the Deputy in relation to quarterly fee dashboards or average net fees after subsidy. Information relating to average gross fees (before subsidies are applied) is summarised below. Each year Pobal compiles data from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Special Educational Needs (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Data (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: This Government recognises that waiting times for Assessment of Need (AON) are too long and have a significant impact on delivering on the needs of children and their families. Both this Department and the HSE are committed to reducing the timeframes for assessment and have been working intensively to progress measures to achieve this. The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Care Services (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department provides funding to the HSE to deliver specialist disability services either directly or via Section 38 and Section 39 organisations. While the Department sets the strategy, policy direction and the overall allocation for the disability sector, funding allocations to individual service providers is an operational matter for the HSE as the funding authority. Regarding the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Care Services (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Properties (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I can advise that this Department does not own or control any unused properties, lands or buildings within County Kerry.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Funding (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I am very appreciative of the work carried out by Family Resource Centres around the country, and have seen first-hand the benefits to local communities of the range of services offered by Family Resource Centres. I also acknowledge that there is a Programme for Government commitment to work to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of Family Resource Centres over the lifetime...